


Blood and Peace

by veryconfidentsandwichshapedfreedom



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Background Relationships, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Everybody Dies, Expanded Clan Culture, Gen, Genocide, On Hiatus, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character, POV ThunderClan, Prophecy, Slow To Update, Traditional Naming, Tragic Romance, blood lots of blood, villain backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:12:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veryconfidentsandwichshapedfreedom/pseuds/veryconfidentsandwichshapedfreedom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When terror drowns the forest, only scars will bring blood and peace together."</p><p>Whiteheart wishes he could understand why Tornpelt was turned savage by the death of his mate, and how to fix him. But when he returns and shakes all four Clans into chaos, Whiteheart must rise against all odds to protect newfound allies, defeat newfound enemies, and end a powerful reign of fear and battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Dawnstar - pale pinkish-gray she-cat with light yellow eyes

Deputy: Firetail - unusually small dark ginger tabby tom with bright green eyes

Medicine Cat: Icepelt - pretty pure white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Warriors:

Mousefang - skinny dark red-brown she-cat with yellow eyes and a graying muzzle

Jayfur - thin silver tabby tom with green eyes and white paws

Hawkfur - huge muscular golden-brown tom with tufted ears and amber eyes

Honeywhisker - lanky cream tabby she-cat with brown stripes, blue eyes, and a white tailtip

Tornpelt - massive, battlescarred gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Palestripe - light gray tabby tom with white mottling and blue eyes

Elmflower - longhaired brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Rainpelt - dappled gray tabby she-cat with a nicked ear and dark blue eyes

Briarclaw - dark brown tom with amber eyes

Merganserstorm - speckled tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Duckpaw - lithe, skinny gray-brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Embernose - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Beetletail - skinny black tabby she-cat with a white tailtip and green eyes

Squirrelpelt - large ginger tom with green eyes and a scarred nose

Vervaincloud - longhaired blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Smokeface - handsome stocky gray and white tom with yellow eyes

Oakclaw - small dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes

Apprentice: Maplepaw - lean ginger tom with yellow eyes

Mudfoot - small dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Tawnypaw - fluffy dark ginger tom with green eyes and a tufty tailtip and ears

Apprentices:

Tawnypaw - fluffy dark ginger tom with green eyes and a tufty tailtip and ears

Maplepaw - lean ginger tom with yellow eyes

Duckpaw - lithe, skinny gray-brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Queens:

Mallowcloud - small white she-cat with a pale gray patch on her shoulder and blue eyes, mother of Jayfur’s kits, Whitekit - pure white tom with green eyes, and Stonekit - pale gray tabby tom with a white muzzle and light green eyes

Heatherclaw - gray-brown she-cat with yellow eyes and a torn ear, mother of Smokeface’s kits, Graykit - dark gray tom with blue eyes, Hailkit - pale gray tabby tom with amber eyes, and Specklekit - pale brown she-cat with gray mottling and yellow eyes

Knotpelt - longhaired ginger and white tabby she-cat with a flat face and green eyes, expecting Hawkfur’s kits

Elders:

Molestorm - longhaired silver and gray tabby tom with shredded ears and yellow eyes, one of which is missing

Daycloud - pale blue-gray tom with amber eyes and a long tail kinked at the tip

Lilyclaw - creamy-brown she-cat with a darker back, a graying muzzle, and blue eyes

 

ShadowClan

Leader: Yellowstar - large, sleek solid golden tom with a flash of white on his chest, a nicked eartip, and amber eyes

Apprentice: Deerpaw - pale brown tabby tom with darker stripes and yellow eyes

Deputy: Dunnockclaw - dark gray-brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and legs and yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Bramblefoot - tiny gray she-cat with brown flecks and odd blue eyes

Warriors:

Lionpelt - large ginger tom with yellow eyes

Frogstep -  dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Snowpaw - very large white tom with green eyes

Patchwhisker - lanky tortoiseshell and white she-cat with shredded ears

Benttail - sleek black she-cat with a kinked tail and green eyes

Lizardheart - dark brown tabby she-cat with ginger mottling and yellow eyes

Apprentice: Swiftpaw - black she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and green eyes

Rowanfur - handsome ginger and white tom with amber eyes and a long brown tail

Laurelfang - big longhaired white tom with gray eartips and a gray patch along his spine

Specklefur - longhaired, mottled pale gray tabby tom with white patches, dark flecks, and icy blue eyes

Mistflower - small silver tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Redstripe - dark ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes and a nicked ear

Apprentice: Copperpaw - small ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Foxnose - ginger tabby tom with three white paws and copper eyes

Apprentice: Fernpaw - small pale ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes and long stripes down his legs

Tinyfang - very small tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes and oversized paws

Apprentice: Burrpaw - pale gray-brown she-cat with blue eyes

Commafoot - tortoiseshell and white she-cat with one blue eye and one amber eye

Pansypelt - pale gray and ginger she-cat with a cream face and green eyes

Apprentices:

Deerpaw - pale brown tabby tom with darker stripes and yellow eyes

Burrpaw - pale gray-brown she-cat with blue eyes

Swiftpaw - black she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and green eyes

Snowpaw - very large white tom with green eyes

Copperpaw - small ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Fernpaw - small pale ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes and long stripes down his legs

Queens:

Brownflower - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Elders:

Nettlefur - once-pretty pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and brilliant ice blue eyes

Missingtail - elderly gray tabby tom with orange eyes, a white underbelly and paws, and a stumpy, scarred tail

Nightstream - longhaired black and white tom with amber eyes and a torn ear

 

WindClan

Leader: Fernstar - light reddish-brown tabby tom with bright green eyes

Deputy: Sandheart - massive tan tom with yellow eyes and sturdy paws

Apprentice: Shrewpaw - longlegged solid grayish golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Silverwhisker - beautiful solid silver she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice: Birchpaw - mottled creamy-brown tom with green eyes

Warriors:

Ashclaw - lithe dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes and a silver ringed tail

Cloudnose - fluffy white she-cat with pale gray patches along her spine and yellow eyes

Harefur - skinny brown tom with a white chest and amber eyes

Rosefur - tortoiseshell she-cat with large, petal-shaped ginger markings and a torn ear

Apprentice: Ravenpaw - muscular black she-cat with green eyes and a mottled white underbelly

Firestripe - dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes and a pale underbelly and paws

Snakefoot - small dark brown tabby tom with a white muzzle and green eyes

Bluestorm - dark blue-gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Stonecloud - pale silver tabby she-cat with ice blue eyes

Kitestripe - lanky dark brown, almost black tabby she-cat with orange eyes

Applewhisker - mottled tortoiseshell she-cat with a white underbelly and tailtip and green eyes

Mouseclaw - virtually deaf pale gray she-cat with darker gray-brown stripes and dark amber eyes

Apprentice: Gingerpaw - wiry pale ginger tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Storkheart - longlegged skinny white she-cat with yellow eyes and a long tail

Oattail - skinny golden-brown she-cat with a white underbelly and paws, a ripped ear, and amber eyes

Apprentice: Blackpaw - pure black tom with one white toe and bright green eyes

Reedpelt - pale golden tom with yellow eyes and a dark, ringed tail

Apprentice: Cormorantpaw - plump black tom with one green eye and one blue eye and a shiny pelt

Apprentices:

Birchpaw - mottled creamy-brown tom with green eyes

Shrewpaw - longlegged solid grayish golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Gingerpaw - wiry pale ginger tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Blackpaw - pure black tom with one white toe and bright green eyes

Ravenpaw - muscular black she-cat with green eyes and a mottled white underbelly

Cormorantpaw - plump black tom with one green eye and one blue eye and a shiny pelt

Queens: 

Dapplestorm - dappled golden-brown tabby she-cat with green eyes and a stumpy tail

Elders:

Garlicfoot - lanky battlescarred white tom with copper eyes and a bobtail

Heathfang - large very pale gray, almost white tom with amber eyes and a bobtail

Chivewhisker - pale pinkish-gray she-cat with ginger and cream patches down her spine and green eyes

 

RiverClan

Leader: Ripplestar - tiny blue-gray tabby she-cat with silver paws and green eyes

Deputy: Scarredthroat - massive pure black tom with long scars stretching from his upper jaw to his chest, torn ears, and vibrant yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Robinleaf - dark brown and white tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Breamtail - silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Warriors:

Owlpelt - mottled brown tom with a scar across his flank and yellow eyes

Troutheart - skinny solid dark gray tom with yellow eyes

Hailstorm - pale gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Wortnose - dark golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes and a white tailtip and paws

Pinecloud - dark brown tabby she-cat

Codtail - skinny golden tabby tom with amber eyes and shredded, battered ears

Apprentice: Ruffepaw - small tan tom with a darker face, ears, paws, and tail and blue eyes

Reedflower - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes and a scar down her flank

Froststream - handsome pure white tom with big blue eyes

Gobycloud - tall, thin creamy-white tom with paler paws and dark orange, almost copper eyes

Darkheart - skinny black she-cat with yellow eyes and white back paws

Cinderstream - mottled gray tom with blue eyes and a fluffy, white-tipped tail

Loachstorm - longhaired brown marble tabby she-cat with green eyes and extra toes on her back paws

Leopardcloud - mottled golden she-cat with yellow eyes and three white legs

Boleteflower - beautiful reddish-brown she-cat with a yellow-tan underbelly and sharp blue eyes

Apprentice: Trufflepaw - slender black she-cat with a white chest and blue eyes

Brightfang - big white tom with a brown patch on his head and yellow eyes

Adderclaw - very shorthaired brown tabby tom with black stripes and green eyes

Apprentice: Foxpaw - bright ginger tabby tom with brown circles around his green eyes

Apprentices:

Breamtail - silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Trufflepaw - slender black she-cat with a white chest and blue eyes

Foxpaw - bright ginger tabby tom with brown circles around his green eyes

Ruffepaw - small tan tom with a darker face, ears, paws, and tail and blue eyes

Queens:

Littleflower - tiny cream and white she-cat with blue eyes

Pikenose - large dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes and a very long tail

Elders:

Sedgefang - dark brown, almost black she-cat with light green eyes

Burnetfur - lanky reddish-brown tom with amber eyes and battlescarred ears

Crookedfoot - very pale golden tabby tom with green eyes and a broken, twisted back paw

Chubface - beautiful pale brown tabby she-cat with white dapples and amber eyes

 

Cats Outside of Clans:

Turmeric - longhaired golden tom with yellow eyes and a torn ear

Bully - big, muscular ginger and white tom with green eyes

Dapples - handsome lithe dark tortoiseshell tom with yellow eyes and tufted ears

Hubert - fat dark brown tabby tom with large amber eyes

Frisco - small gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Venus - longhaired pure black she-cat with greenish yellow eyes and a shredded ear


	2. Prologue

A silent darkness had flooded the forest many hours ago, and it was cold and wet. An owl called in the distance. The moon shone bright silver above. Along the bank of a river, two groups of cats stood, calling and gradually becoming louder and louder as their argument became more heated.

“Would true ThunderClan warriors run from a challenge, Hawkfur?” a thin tabby meowed to one of the cats behind him, green eyes narrowed. Without taking his attention off his own cats, the tabby glared back at his enemies.

A golden she-cat in the opposite group hollered back to the tabby, tail lashing. “Of course they would!” she snarled, digging her claws into the moss. The dark gray tom next to her glared her into silence. Beside them, a skinny black kitten, much younger than any of the other cats closest to the bank, bounced up and down, claws extended and gleaming white in the muted light.

A small ginger tom hissed loudly from the opposite group, slashing the vegetation under his claws. He felt uncomfortable with the lack of tree cover here by the river, and he could feel the fur along his spine rising.

The ginger tom felt something bump into his shoulder, and he whirled his head around in fear, eyes wide. His Clanmate, Tornpelt, a brawny gray tabby with dozens of scars, had forced himself to the head of the patrol. “Maybe you fish-faces should go back into the river where you belong! I mean, look at you all; there’s a kit fighting for you! ThunderClan can never be beaten by you mousebrains!”

The ginger tom wanted to turn to discipline the warrior, but was stuck watching in horror as a muscular black tom wove to the front of his own tight group, yellow eyes glinting.

"RiverClan will accept your taunts no longer. Your warriors have crossed our borders too many times, and perhaps this battle will teach you to stay out of the river!”

Before he could react, the ginger tom was buried under enemies, writhing and slashing in their best attempts to injure him. Nearby, Tornpelt had a fat brown she-cat pinned, slicing at her belly fur, until a tortoiseshell knocked him off his feet. A gray and cream warrior tackled the tortoiseshell, but was brought down by a flood of three more cats.

Along the edge of the forest, a creamy-white tom and a large blue-gray she-cat wrestled, rapidly shifting positions and stirring up the undergrowth, scattering bits of vegetation around them. The she-cat got in a lucky strike, slashing deep into the enemy’s shoulder. She leapt back and raised her paw for another blow to his jaw as he cringed, but a skinny golden tabby pounced onto her back and flipped her skillfully into a pin, launching clumps of dusty looking fluff across the battlefield.

A pained yowl shook the air. Tornpelt had launched himself free of his attackers and now had a pretty red-brown she-cat under his paws. She screamed violently as he raised one blow after the other to her pelt, scattering blood and fur along the ground.

Along the water’s edge, two identical brown tabby toms terrorized the black kitten, slashing at her ears and throat. With one tremendous leap, the black tom threw himself from the thick of the battle and between the kitten and her assailants. He slid neatly across the wet stone and whirled around to face the tabbies with a snarl on his face and his ears pinned back. One of the tabbies struck out with a large forepaw, slashing his forehead wide open. Yowling in agony, the black tom slipped into the river with a sickening snap as his leg was jolted against the stone.

Suddenly, the entire battle stood still. Cats paused in their fighting positions as they watched the black cat unable to fight the current.

“Scarredthroat! You can swim! Try!” a pale ginger she-cat called out. Beside her, the ginger tom tensed his muscles.

Scarredthroat’s head slid under the white foam. With one solid leap, the ginger tom pounced into the water, yowling as he hit the cold, uncomfortable surface. But he struggled on, one paw after the other, his body trying its hardest to sink under. His paws refused to touch ground, but all the ginger tabby could see was the bobbing head of his enemy. He held his breath and dove downward, creating more thick white foam as he hooked his teeth successfully into Scarredthroat’s scruff.

“Firetail! What are you doing? Kill him!” Tornpelt snarled, blue eyes narrow and tail lashing. Beneath him, the red-brown she-cat wailed in agony. Meows of confusion and shock held the battleground in a chokehold.

But still the ginger cat pressed on, struggling under the weight of the drowning black tom. He had almost reached the opposite shore when he sank under.

A pure white tom leapt into the water with a splash, yowling. “I'm coming! We can't lose two deputies today!”

The current had grown strong, strong enough that even the white cat had trouble churning himself forward. He searched the water frantically for a flailing shape, digging his claws into the mud below in an effort to keep himself from being swept away in the waves as he paused to look.

A large, deformed shape emerged on the bank. Firetail collapsed, panting. Scarredthroat heaved himself from the grass on three paws and shook himself dry. His injured leg was splayed out behind him, looking almost twisted. The white cat, now looking almost brown with dirty water, kept paddling and soon came up onto the bank, splattering mud across the sand. The whole forest was silent.

“Firetail? You're a ThunderClan cat. I would never believe that a warrior would willingly save their own enemy in such a bloody battle unless that cat was you,” Scarredthroat mused, pushing a large black paw against the ginger cat’s side.

Firetail smirked. “I still have my honor, and only a heartless rogue would let a deputy die.” He stretched and rose to his paws, sending a nasty glare toward Tornpelt. “But some warriors still have the brash lack of tact I'd expect from one of those.”

Scarredthroat purred. “We’ll let you win today, ThunderClan. But when you’re least ready, we’ll be there.” It sounded more like a tease than a true threat. “RiverClan, retreat!”

Firetail heaved himself to his paws as he watched the RiverClan cats begin to paddle their way across the water once more. He leaned down to lick a scratch on his shoulder, lapping away the coppery taste of blood and muddy water from his sopping pelt. Then he turned back to the white cat, who had Scarredthroat leaning on his shoulder for support.

“Froststream, is it? You certainly showed that you deserve that name today,” he mewed.

Froststream let out a satisfied mrrow. “Thank you, Firetail. I suppose I should be taking Scarredthroat back to camp now. We’ve a lot to report, it seems.”

They turned away gracefully, as if they’d been walking this way for moons. Firetail admired the structure in RiverClan, how they all seemed to function as one. If only ThunderClan could behave like that. But some cats made it hard. The first RiverClan cat beached beside him with a splash, a brown and black tabby tom. He glanced at Firetail, green eyes glinting, before scampering off after his Clanmates.

Still panting, Firetail turned back to his own Clanmates. Some wore expressions of astonishment, while others were growling at the fleeing RiverClan. But the gray tabby stood out to him. Tornpelt’s patchy-furred face seemed to be contorted into a look of pure hatred, directed not at RiverClan, but at Firetail himself. He dismissed it as paranoia and leapt back into the water.

As he boarded the bank once more, a thin cream tabby darted over to help him out. “Firetail, that was amazing!” she mewed, blue eyes wide in astonishment. She grabbed Firetail by the scruff, making him squeal, and dragged him the rest of the way up the muddy shore. He yanked himself free.

“Thanks, Honeywhisker. It was what any warrior would have done.”

Tornpelt padded forward from the congregation to hiss at both of them. “Oh, yes, the great and mighty Firetail, making everyone question his loyalty!” he sneered. “If you love Scarredthroat so much, why don't you just join RiverClan?”

Firetail sighed deeply. “I don't know what has gotten into you, Tornpelt, but this is no way to speak to a deputy, or any cat, for that matter. Perhaps Dawnstar should demote you from being a senior warrior if you're going to act like a kit throwing a tantrum.”

Tornpelt looked down, suddenly sobered. “Sorry, Firetail,” he mewed, staring at his thick, muddy paws.

“ThunderClan, we shall return the news of our victory to Dawnstar. Vervaincloud, stay at the rear and make sure no one falls behind.”

As the cats began to organize themselves, a longhaired blue-gray she-cat slipped behind them, glancing about three or four times before meeting Firetail’s gaze. With his reassurance that the group was organized and fit to move, Firetail padded into the trees, wet pelt still clinging to his form.


	3. Chapter 3

“Whitekit! Whitekit, wake up! The patrol came back from the RiverClan border!”

Whitekit tilted his head upward to see his overjoyed littermate Stonekit bouncing and squealing. The bright, yet subtle orange light filtering through the branches indicated that it was barely dawn, but Whitekit was excited anyway. He sprung to his paws, suddenly wide awake.

“Can't a queen get some sleep around here? Between Heatherclaw’s kits mewling all night and you two filling the den with your ruckus, I can't get a heartbeat of shuteye!”

Whitekit whirled around to see Knotpelt growling from her shredded nest, pale green eyes narrow and upturned nose scrunched in disdain. While Knotpelt had only moved to the nursery a few sunrises ago, swollen heavily with Hawkfur’s kits, she’d done nothing but complain since, and had protested and postponed being moved in the first place.

Stonekit rolled his eyes and let out a massive purr. “Come on, Whitekit! Maybe they’ll tell us a story about a big battle!”

Whitekit bounded forward, but lurched to a tiptoe when he saw Heatherclaw’s three kits still fast asleep. They were barely a quarter moon old and still mostly immobile. The she-cat, Specklekit, still had her eyes shut, while her brothers Graykit and Hailkit had opened theirs when Knotpelt settled in. He remembered joking to Stonekit that if Knotpelt were the first thing he’d seen when he opened his eyes, he’d have never opened them again.

Whitekit crept quietly past the silent pile of gray kits and out the parted opening of the nursery, where two large, spiny rose branches were staked into the ground with rocks to allow the passage of warriors. As soon as his paws moved from trampled brown earth and scattered moss to grass, he shrieked with joy and gazed at the gorse tunnel, eyes wide.

He hadn't realized how many cats had been at battle. He recognized his father, Jayfur, a thin gray and white tabby, chatting with his mother, Mallowcloud, a few foxlengths away from the gorse tunnel opening. Jayfur had a small scratch across his foreleg, but was otherwise unharmed.

Excited to greet his father, Whitekit began to dart across the clearing as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.

“Whitekit, wait up!”

Whitekit slid to a halt, scattering soil onto his paws and into his thin white pelt. Claws extended, he came to a full stop before turning around to see Stonekit close behind him, panting.

“Aww, it's not my fault that you're too slow,” Whitekit teased, reaching out a muddy paw to hit his brother in the muzzle as he ran. Stonekit jerked out of the way.

“Meanie!” he shrieked, letting out a tight mrrow of laughter. “Bet I can get to Jayfur first!”

“Can not!” Whitekit meowed. Before Stonekit could blink, Whitekit took off like a jet, sprinting through the grass. He could hear Stonekit approaching, but he pressed on.

Suddenly, pain surged through him. The world blurred. With a sputter, he pulled himself away from the surface he'd collided with, only to be looking straight into the amber eyes of a stocky golden-brown tomcat. The big warrior had his head dipped to Whitekit’s level, so that the little kit could just touch his fluffy ears if he reached up.

A dazed Whitekit felt his heart start to race. What if this warrior was mad at him for not paying attention? Would he get in trouble? He still hadn't met many of the warriors in the Clan yet, and there was no way to predict how angry this big cat could get.

He heard Stonekit shuffle behind him, just as nervous as he was. Whitekit took a deep breath and chirped loudly. “Sorry!”

The tom let out a deep belly laugh and pushed the kitten back with his muzzle. Whitekit flattened his ears in embarrassment as he was moved like he was no lighter than the carcass of a finch.

“You're Jayfur’s kits, aren't you? He's just over there, with Mallowcloud.”

Stonekit piped up. “Oh, we saw; we were just going to see him, but thanks anyway!”

Whitekit hopped to the side, still dizzy, and bounced off toward Jayfur, who was only a few foxlengths away now. The tabby had turned his attention to the approaching kits. He smiled warmly. Lying down and huddled next to him, Mallowcloud was in the deep, consuming process of grooming her thick white pelt.

“Don't worry, Whitekit. You're not the first cat to run headfirst into Hawkfur, believe me.”

Whitekit flopped down eagerly at Jayfur’s paws. While he'd hoped his father hadn't seen that, the thrill of hearing about the battle far outweighed the humiliation.

“Jayfur, Jayfur!” Stonekit mewed. “Tell us about the battle! How many RiverClan cats did you kill? Were they big and scary?”

Whitekit realized that everything he wanted to say, his brother almost always said first. It wasn't that he was quiet by choice, but he preferred to think before he spoke, unlike his carefree littermate.

Jayfur’s eyes lit up. “Slow down, Stonekit. Nobody died. And they’re not scary, they’re just like us. Except that they reek of fish.”

Mallowcloud looked up from her grooming. “Tell them about Firetail. I almost felt like a kit again when you recounted it to me,” she purred, rubbing her head against Jayfur’s upper foreleg.

Jayfur smirked and rolled his eyes playfully. “The fight didn't last very long. But the RiverClan deputy, Scarredthroat, hurt his leg and slipped into the river. I couldn't believe my eyes when Firetail saved him. I guess being part RiverClan can come in handy sometimes.”

Stonekit mewed loudly again. “Part RiverClan?”

“Firetail’s mother took a RiverClan mate. I don't think anyone forgave her. She’s probably looking down from StarClan, impressed with the good Firetail has done. He will make a very fine leader someday."

Whitekit couldn't help but feel eyes on his back. He turned his head, gaze blurry. He saw the warrior Smokeface playing with his sister, Vervaincloud, a few foxlengths away, pouncing and teasing like they were kits. A pair of solid ginger-brown apprentices, Tawnypaw and Maplepaw, were having some sort of contest to see who could repeat Dawnstar’s name the fastest.

Along the brushy gorse edge of the clearing, part of the protective barrier that had grown in a messy line away from the gorse tunnel, stood a tall, brawny gray tom with shredded ears and a patchy, thin pelt marked with scars. Whitekit had seen him around camp a few times before, but never had he looked so… angry. His dark blue eyes were narrow and staring directly at Whitekit.

Jayfur was rambling on about a battle with a fox when he was an apprentice, but Whitekit was far too interested in the glaring warrior to pay much attention. As soon as the tom noticed Whitekit watching him, he flinched backward and began to pad away to the gorse tunnel.

“Whitekit, what's wrong?” Mallowcloud asked.

Whitekit shook his head. “Nothing, Mallowcloud. One of the warriors was looking at me funny.”

Mallowcloud let out a deep purr of amusement. Beside her, Jayfur paused his story and tilted his head. “Who, Whitekit?” he asked.

Whitekit flattened his ears, paws shaky. “One of the big warriors. He was a gray tabby, like you, but larger and paler and covered with scars.”

Jayfur scrunched up his muzzle in disgust. “Tornpelt. I don't know what's quite gotten into him lately. He used to be so kind, but ever since Tortrixnose went to StarClan… he's been nothing but trouble.”

Mallowcloud let out a soft hiss. “I haven't yet gotten past her death, love. She was my littermate, after all. I don't expect to feel better soon.”

The thin tabby turned his attention to the tall boulder in the center of the clearing. “It looks like Dawnstar’s about to call a meeting.”

Whitekit tilted his head, glaring over his littermate’s ears. Atop the massive stone balanced a beautiful pink-gray she-cat, regal and stoic in appearance, with her long, thick tail held stiffly out behind her and her head carried high. A ginger tabby leapt onto the smaller rock beside her, staring at her as she prepared to caterwaul.

Whitekit was admiring the way the sun shone on the old she-cat’s fur when the eager mews of his littermate broke his concentration.

“Can we come, Jayfur? Can we?” Stonekit shrieked, hopping up and down. Whitekit bounced to his paws to avoid being knocked over. Sometimes, his littermate could be a bit too immature for his taste.

Before Jayfur could answer, Dawnstar’s stentorian voice filled the hollow.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Stonekit bounded ahead, emerald eyes wide with excitement. Jayfur leaned onto his paws and gave a large yawn. Whitekit turned to his mother.

“Are you coming?” he asked.

Mallowcloud sighed. “Of course I am. Just a little tired, that's all.”

Whitekit reached the meeting just as the last few cats were coming in. He sat down next to an old creamy-brown she-cat and directed his gaze upward to Dawnstar. He couldn't stand the noise. Everyone seemed to be chattering in worried voices, and it all blended together.

“I wonder if this is about Tornpelt,” someone mewed. Tornpelt? The grumpy gray tom from earlier hadn't seemed very friendly. His father's words echoed in his head. Perhaps Tornpelt was the subject of this meeting.

“Aren't you a little young to be attending a Clan meeting?”

Whitekit turned his head. Trying his hardest to sound adult, he focused directly on the elder’s blue eyes and recalled words his father tended to say.

“Just interested in Clan affairs.”

The old she-cat smiled. “Just like Jayfur, aren't you?”

Before he could reply, the Clan drew silent around him. He stared up in awe.

“Cats of ThunderClan,” Dawnstar meowed, eyes bright with fire and passion. “You fought well against RiverClan, and the actions of our courageous deputy have not earned us new enemies, but instead put a Clan in our debt.” Beside her, the ginger cat beamed with pride. “But Firetail has informed me that the behavior of one of our warriors was extremely inappropriate, and it is with regret that I must call him forward to speak for his acts.”

The entire clearing erupted into chaos. Cats whispered and shrieked, some yowled in shock and fear. Whitekit could barely hear the next words Dawnstar spoke.

“Tornpelt, come to the front.”


End file.
